COLOMBO, March 30 -- Conflicting signals emanating from the Sri Lankan government suggest that the long-delayed elections to the nine Provincial Councils may not be held any time soon.

Though various reasons are cited to account for the delay (since 2018), the bottom line (which is not articulated for obvious reasons) is that the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) is not confident of winning the elections, if held now or even in the near future.

The fact that ministers give various dates for the elections suggests confusion in the ruling party.

The reasons for the lack of urgency in holding elections are basically two: (1) the parlous state of the Sri Lankan economy and (2) certain hurdles relating to the election law.

While th...